Pagani says the Utopia could have been a 1,000bhp hybrid

Horacio Pagani has revealed that the Utopia could have used a 1,000bhp hybrid V8 instead of the V12. In initial discussions about powerplants for the new hypercar, Mercedes-AMG suggested using the twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 with twin electric motors as featured in the GT 63 e-Performance. 

The plan was for it to be uprated from 831bhp to 1,000bhp. It would also have meant adopting 4WD, as the system mounts the electric motors on the front wheels.

Pagani got as far as running lap time simulations using both set-ups. These revealed that although the hybrid was considerably more powerful than the 852bhp 6.0-litre twin turbo V12, it would actually be 4-5 seconds a lap slower around the Nürburgring. The reason? The significant weight penalty. 

"Pagani cars are meant to be lightweight," Horacio told TG. "So [although] we will continue to invest in developments for electrification, the biggest goal for us is to find a way to make the car more enjoyable, more fun, more Pagani." 

And that, for now, means the V12 gets a stay of execution – likely until the end of the Utopia’s life in a decade or so. Beyond that Horacio confirmed that Pagani is still working on electric, but that the exact template and ideas have yet to be finalised. 

"We've had a team only focusing on full electric, but at the same time they’re also evaluating all the other options that could be also hybridization. I own a Porsche 918 and I love it on electric driving from my house to Modena which is probably 15 kilometres, [but then] the battery's gone. So when I’m driving back home, I carry all the weight of things that are completely discharged."

"But we need to do this research. It doesn’t matter if the client doesn’t ask for it, because you have to be ready for what's next. Don’t ask me when that might be – we'll only launch it when it's ready."